(AP) — Astronaut Frank Borman, who commanded Apollo 8's historic Christmas 1968 flight that circled the moon 10 times and paved the way for the lunar landing the next year, has died. Borman also led troubled Eastern Airlines in the 1970s and early '80s after leaving the astronaut corps. He and his crew, James Lovell and William Anders, were the first Apollo mission to fly to the moon — and to see Earth as a distant sphere in space. Astronaut Frank Borman was a true American hero,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement Thursday. In his book, "Countdown: An Autobiography," Borman said Apollo 8 was originally supposed to orbit Earth.

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Persons: Frank Borman, Borman, James Lovell, William Anders, Bill Nelson, Susan, ”, God, ” Lovell, —, ” Borman, Anders Organizations: NASA, Eastern Airlines, Gemini, Associated Press Locations: Mont, Billings , Montana, Florida’s Cape Canaveral